Letter 1599: The spiritual life is a journey with a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Even though in grave matters circumstances seem to compel and almost force one to deviate from what is right and honorable, yet those who are not lacking in prudence, having taken counsel, choose what is becoming rather than what appears at first sight, and regard as truly victorious not what seems to prevail but what actually conquers in virtue and honesty. For true victory is not to conquer by force at the moment, but to excel in virtue and honest standing. To Selinus and Hierax, most illustrious men. One ought to honor and worship not merely according to human merit, but beyond all merit. The pure and divine power alone wishes to honor according to what is deserved. And it alone also possesses the means by which it will honor, its will vying with its power. Let us therefore love it, the only one that both wishes to honor us and has the means by which it will honor us not only according to our merit but beyond our merit. "For the sufferings of the present time," it says, "are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed."
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
Επ5ὶ φι 'η γοθι5 σγανίθι5 ΟΟΟΙΡΓΙ πὶ : τ ΠΔ τυ] υτη να θαηΐ ἃς ρ6π6 οορϑηὶ δ ἰΙοπ65( οἰποίοαυα ἀονίατγο, ἰδπίθη 4υἱ ργυσδηικΐα ΠΟ σάΓοηί, διι86ι: ἀν: ἀαχιγ οοιπηἰυηϊ, ἀδοοτυπὶ ροιυ8 αυδιΝ ἰά ᾳυοά ρτίινα [γτοπίθ φρρᾶγαὶ οἰχοιῖθθ, ποῖ] Φρτὸ ἴοτυπι αυοὰΐ υἱοὶ νἱἀδαηίυγ, τόνογα Υἱοίβδα εἰοτίαπιιν. εγα δίνη υἱοίογίἃ Π01 οὶ νἱς νἱἰογὶ ἐμ ἰθιμογα, δα νἱγίαϊο ἂς ἰδία ποι) Οχοὶ- ΘΟΟΩΙΧΧΙ. --- ΒΕΙΙΝΟ ΕΤ ΗΙΕΒΑΟ, ΥἹΆΙΝ ΟΙΑΒΙΘΘΙΜΙΚ. εις ποη δοίιιμε δὰ πιογῖιο., εοα δ᾽ διίρτα ποτ (μη δι05 ΠοπΌΤαΥὸ οἱ υὑμί! οἱ γμοίδεί. Ἢ ἀχήρατος χαὶ θεία δύναμις μόνη μὲν ἐθέλει χατ᾽ ἀξίαν τιμᾷν. Μόνη δὲ καὶ ἔχει δι᾽ ὧν τιμήσει, τῇ βουλήσει τῆς δυνάμεως ἀμιλλωμένης. Οὐχοῦν ἀγαπήσωμεν αὐτὴν, τὴν μόνην χαὶ ἐθέλουσαν ἡμᾶς τιμῆσαι, χαὶ ἔχουσαν, δι᾽ ὧν οὐ μόνον κατ᾽ ἀξίαν, ἀλλὰ χαὶ ὑπὲρ τὴν ἀξίαν τιμήσει" ε Οὐχ ἄξια γὰρ, φησὶ, τὰ παθήματα τοῦ νῦν χαιροῦ πρὸς τὴν μέλ- λουσαν δόξαν ἀποχαλυφθῆναι. »
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